Stop Tipping

[Milton]

It's for suckers.

I confess, I previously tipped as high as 10%; but after reading this article, no more.

 

[RobbieB]

Wow! A whole 10% you say?

 

[SumDay]

I'm in the US, and I'll continue tipping 20% unless the service is poor. They deserve every penny they get and work way harder than I EVER did.

 

[MichaelB]

Another provocative thread title. This is about tipping in Canada, it doesn’t apply to the US.

US Census data shows that most restaurant servers and wait staff make less than the US median wage. If you don’t want to tip in a reastaurant then don’t eat out.

 

[Bestwifeever]

The video also encourages tipping the poor waiters in Canada’s diners; that makes no sense if everyone is making $11 an hour as he says. Why tip them?

 

[Teacher Terry]

We tip 20% unless the server is rude. Here they get minimum wage. Most states they don’t.

 

[Sunset]

The video is about Canada,
If you watch it, they explain every worker makes a minimum of $11/hr.
In Ontario the minimum is $15 per hour.

Then you get the tips on top of that !!!

I knew a software engineer working at Mega corp in Canada (where they paid him time & half for working overtime), his wife was a waitress.
He told me she made more money than him as she got salary plus the tips.

 

[Aerides]

I think the OP knows this video is about Canada, whereas 70% (+?) of those of us seeing this title are in the US, and therefore would have stronger reactions.

Without tips, in the US, the hourly wage for wait staff is $2.13. Even with it, the average is less (in today's dollars) than most of us made in our first summer jobs.

 

[OldShooter]

The US is similar to the video. I have a SCORE client who has a cfo/accounting business serving restaurants exclusively. According to her, servers at higher end restaurants can make $60K and typically make more than the restaurant manager. Back of the house, kitchen, it's more like $15/hour -- $30K. Life is not fair.

 

[youbet]

The US is similar to the video. I have a SCORE client who has a cfo/accounting business serving restaurants exclusively. According to her, servers at higher end restaurants can make $60K and typically make more than the restaurant manager. Back of the house, kitchen, it's more like $15/hour -- $30K. Life is not fair.

Perhaps high tier restaurants in the US are similar to the video but certainly not your typical coffee shop, diner or family restaurant.

Additionally, even with the higher annual compensation skilled, personable servers might earn in high tier restaurants, high tier restaurants are having trouble attracting enough of them. Talented, hard working, friendly staff don't seem to want to work nights, weekends, holidays, etc. That would indicate that the pay isn't enough.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

The US is similar to the video. I have a SCORE client who has a cfo/accounting business serving restaurants exclusively. According to her, servers at higher end restaurants can make $60K and typically make more than the restaurant manager. Back of the house, kitchen, it's more like $15/hour -- $30K. Life is not fair.

Not so sure on this figure as general managers @ Chili's makes quite a bit more than this...upwards of six figures when bonuses are included.

https://www.indeed.com/salaries/General-Manager-Salaries-at-Chili's

 

[youbet]

And, if the restaurant manager is earning less than some of the servers who know how to do well with tips, the manager should return to being a server. Or, if never a server, learn how to be one and go hustle, hustle, hustle.......

Lots of managers make less than skilled employees reporting to them. I was in that situation for years with union printers (LPIU), machinists (IAM), electricians (IBEW) amnd die setters (USW) on my crew making far in excess of my meager wages.

(I won in the end though......... )

 

[youbet]

It's for suckers.

I assume you say this because it's so easy to stiff the staff that you're missing a great opportunity for financial gain if you leave a nickle........

 

[street]

It's for suckers.

So you are against someone making a good living and if they can save and become rich, you are against that? At least these people are working for it and not siting on welfare.

 

[davebarnes]

One of the reason I like eating in restaurants in Europe. The price is the price. No added: taxes, tips, etc.

 

[Dtail]

We tip 20% unless the server is rude. Here they get minimum wage. Most states they don’t.

+1

 

[skipro33]

One of the reason I like eating in restaurants in Europe. The price is the price. No added: taxes, tips, etc.

Dollar for dollar, I find a comparable meal in the US to be a better value even with tipping and tax. Meals in Europe are quite expensive.

 

[Midpack]

Another provocative thread title. This is about tipping in Canada, it doesn’t apply to the US.

US Census data shows that most restaurant servers and wait staff make less than the US median wage. If you don’t want to tip in a [US] restaurant then don’t eat out.

+1.

Without tips, in the US, the hourly wage for wait staff is $2.13. Even with it, the average is less (in today's dollars) than most of us made in our first summer jobs.

 

[Milton]

Another provocative thread title. This is about tipping in Canada, it doesn’t apply to the US.

Don't believe I said anything about the US, did I?

There is more to the world, and this website, than the USA. I live in Canada and it should surprise no one that I am interested in what happens here.

If you don’t want to tip in a reastaurant then don’t eat out.

That's one perspective. Of course, we're all entitled to our opinions. I would say that if you don't want to accept that tipping is strictly optional, then seek out some other line of work.

 

[deserat]

Dollar for dollar, I find a comparable meal in the US to be a better value even with tipping and tax. Meals in Europe are quite expensive.

Depends on where in Europe you are...Baltics - great food and very inexpensive also, I've had some great meals in France (considered expensive) as well as a 3 star Michelin meal and it has been cheaper than SF/LA or most northern east coast cities in US.

I also like that the tips are included in Europe - I tip 15% in the US. If the meal is exceptional in Europe I'll round up the amount to the next Euro or so.

 

[ghsebldr]

Please check out "Tales from your server" on Reddit before you quit tipping. You can't imagine some of the crap that servers have to put up with.

 

[aaronc879]

The idea that a waitress at a $15/plate diner gets paid less than one at a $50/plate place is highly flawed. Why should they get paid ~1/3 of the $$ for the same job?

 

[cooch96]

Well, my personal experience in highschool was that my hourly wage dropped to just a couple bucks when I moved to wait staff, but I easily cleared over $10/hr working the floor. This was decades ago in the Midwest. Dear sister made twice that.

Estimate it this way: a busy waiter has ten tables/hr. If they tip an average of $2, that’s $20/hr. And how many of us leave just $2 tips? A hustling waiter can easily clear a couple hundred per busy shift.
The statement waiters make less than our first summer job is dubious, unless most of made $20/hr plus at those jobs.

 

[MRG]

Yeah last I heard servers get many benefits like sick days, 401k match, healthcare and a generous vacation package. Add on top sub-minimum wage, what a deal!

I've never been a server but tend to understand the difference between real benefits and dealing with a bunch of angry people for crap compensation.

 

[ghsebldr]

Yeah last I heard servers get many benefits like sick days, 401k match, healthcare and a generous vacation package. Add on top sub-minimum wage, what a deal!

I've never been a server but tend to understand the difference between real benefits and dealing with a bunch of angry people for crap compensation.

Please google tales from your server, that reddit is populated mostly by servers. You will find that most of them have no benefits and most are required to report to work when sick if they can't get a shift covered.